“We had a very cordial conversation. That didn’t surprise me… because he is obviously a gregarious person. He is somebody who likes to mix it up and to have a vigorous debate. What’s clear was that he is able to tap into yes the anxieties but also the enthusiasm of his voters in a way that was impressive. And I said so to him. Because to the extent that there were a lot of those who missed the Trump phenomenon… that connection that he was able to make.. that was impervious to events that might have sunk another candidate, that’s powerful stuff. … I did say to him, as I’ve said publicly, that because of the nature of the campaigns, and the bitterness and the ferocity of the campaigns, that it’s really important to try to send some signals of unity, and to try to reach out to minority groups and women and others that were concerned about the tenor of the campaign. And I think that that’s something that he will want to do. … He mobilized a big chunk of the country… regardless of what experience or assumptions he brought to the office, this office has a way of waking you up. Those aspects of his positions or predispositions that don’t match up with reality he will find shaken up pretty quick, because reality has a way of asserting itself. Some of his gifts that allowed him to execute one of the biggest upsets in history, hopefully he’ll be able to put those to use. … I’d been encouraged by his statements on election night about unity… the reset that can happen after an election, all those things are important… I think it’s important to give him the room and the space… I emphasized to him that look in an election like this… gestures matters, and how he reaches out to groups that may not have supported him, how he signals his interest in their concerns, those are the kinds of things that can actually set a tone.” 14 Nov 2016 @ 4:19 PM ET
Barack Obama Comments About Donald Trump (14 Nov 2016)
